Transcendental Meditation and the path to enlightenment

In the recent article on the Huffington Post, " Bringing the benefits of meditation into daily life", the author encourages readers to engage in a "meditation" while in activity and prescribes contriving behavior and controlling thoughts as a practice for gaining enlightenment. My comments were posted as follows:

The qualities described in this article as a practice, such as observation of one's self while acting (detachment), attentiveness to the present moment (mindfulness), lack of expectation (surrender), are 'attributes' of a heightened state of consciousness, not the 'path' to it. I have found in my 35 years of teaching Transcendental Meditation that students easily transcend during the TM technique and reach the source of thought, their minds get energized with bliss and pure consciousness. Afterwards, their awareness can naturally focus more powerfully, and in a spontaneous way, without conscious intention to be mindful or attentive.

Trying to be detached or watchful of our thoughts while in the midst of action divides and weakens the mind and creates artificiality in behavior. Unfortunately, the goal of many great traditions of enlightenment has been mistaken for the path, leaving well-intentioned seekers trying to create a state of steadiness though contrivance. Enlightenment is cultivated through deep, effortless meditation that infuses pure consciousness into our daily activity.

Posted on 3:28 PM / 0 comments / Read More

Meditation and Religion

I remember starting yoga and meditation as a teenager in search of enlightenment. I wasn't ready to ditch my religeous faith but was bored with church. My regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique gave me the direct experience of the inner realms of bliss and timeless silence. For the first time I started to have deeper insights into the words of the Bible, such as "Be still and know that I am God" and "The kingdom of heaven is within you." I soon felt at peace with what Christ was talking about and was glad I had a way to make it relevant in my life.

Now I am a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique. I see people coming to learn who are concerned that TM doesn't interfere with their religion, as well as those who are are looking for a way to access the divine from within. Religious folks commonly find more meaning in their scriptures when they meditate, and the non-religious find their own words to relate to their experience of serenity and union with the divine.

Most likely, the daily practice of transcending the material world and gaining the non-material, purely spiritual side of life was once an important part of all the great religions, but over time understanding became distorted and lost. I think this meditation can re-enliven the great religions and make them more relevant, as well as bring spirituality to those who have no religious beliefs.

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